Phillies Lose Again, Drop 3 of 4 to Pirates

In yet another lame showing, the Phillies fell to the Pirates, 6-4, dropping three of four in the series.

LEE BLOWS LEAD, BULLPEN STRUGGLES

-Even the great Cliff Lee is not immune to the virus spreading through this team. With a two run lead in the seventh, Lee gave up back-to-back singles to center field, the first to Gaby Sanchez – who also homered to put the Pirates on the board – and then Michael McKenry, tying the game at 3-3. After seven innings and 122 pitches, Lee fanned seven, allowed 10 hits, three runs, and one walk.

-With the score tied in the eighth, Phillippe Aumont was summoned from the bullpen and did the chic thing – give up runs. Aumont allowed three runs on three hits in just 1/3 of an inning before being pulled in favor of Chad Durbin.

-Consider me someone who has been a believer in Aumont. With his power arm, he seemed destined to become a very good major league relief pitcher. Instead, he has a WHIP of 1.95 in just 6 2/3 innings this season. That won’t cut it. The Phillies need pitchers they can rely on and right now Aumont is not one.

-Nor is Durbin, who came in and allowed one inherited runner to score. He also allowed two moon-shot foul balls to Pedro Alvarez before finally retiring him on a hard hit ball to center. This bullpen is completely bi-polar. Durbin has made 7 appearances this season, and has either allowed an earned run or inherited runner(s) to score in 6.

OFFENSE SPUTTERS AGAIN

-Domonic Brown knocked in two of the three Phillies runs, the first on a bloop double to center field. Nice to see him running hard on a ball that landed in no-mans land and stretch it into a double. Brown brought home a second run on a bullet sac fly to center field. He would double for a second time in the ninth, finishing 2-for-3.

-Jimmy Rollins finished 0-for-3 and his average dropped to .258 in the process. After such a hot start, Rollins seems to be leveling off. Ryan Howard raised his average to .284, but is still putting up some nasty-looking at-bats.

-Kevin Frandsen got a start for Michael Young at third base and reached base twice in four PA’s.

-Odd moment: After Frandsen’s eighth inning double, Chase Utley bunted him to third with no outs. The Phillies best hitter should not be bunting under any circumstances, ever. Ever. Utley also committed his fifth error of the season dropped what looked like a routine line drive in the ninth. While he is hitting, his fielding is suspect, which is very un-Utley-like.

-I’m actually happy to see Charlie Manuel get ejected. After an odd play in which Erik Kratz was interfered with at home plate by Clint Barmes, Manuel came out and argued until he could argue no more. That’s as much fire as we’ve seen from this team in quite a while.

Yes, Charlie needs to go. Something has to inspire these guys, they are playing like shit. The inspiration comes from the top and works its way down.
These guys inspire no confidence what soever . Regardless of how many men are on base, how many outs, you just dont know if they can score or not. And, the other team seems to take advantage of the men on base.
its ugly and getting harder to watch.

I dont understand what you’re saying Lefty – let it work its way out? This team is just not playing well or inspired ball at all. Inspiration needs to come from the top down.
These guys are talented, Howard, Rollins, Utley, Young even Kraps and Revere – but they are not playing even close to their potential.
I am really frustrated.

I’m all for holding the optimism, and I know the Phillies have notoriously gotten off to slow starts. When you watch this team play, however, they just do not look like they have it. Its not like they are playing good, sound, inspired baseball and just catching some tough breaks. They are actively FINDING ways to lose. They are systematically snatching defeat straight out of the hands of victory. Good teams don’t give games away. I just can’t see this team being any better than a .500 club, if their record is even that good. Like you said though, 141 games left, and we all know a lot can happen in 20 games let alone 141, but if we are still sitting here in July talking about how “its still early” and “they will turn it around”, it might be time to become more of a realist. The Phillies are what they are, I fear.Maybe Savery, DeFratus, and Diekman or some combination of two of them can save this bullpen at some point this year, but I just don’t see it. Even if that happens, they still have to find ways to score, and that have shown to be completely inept offensively. Can Chooch be the spark? Maybe he can, but will it be enough? I can say that maybe some of those runners left stranded by the likes of Kratz may have crossed the plate, sure, but will it translate into more wins?

The fanbase is frustrated right now, as we should be. This is not the kind of start we expected, and not the kind of lackluster baseball we expected to see. Its one think to be a losing team, its another to consistently give games away.

I’m not saying you are wrong, I never say anyone else is just because they don’t agree with me. But do you have Extra Innings or the Direct TV package? Because when you watch as many games as I do, you’d see a lot of teams that could fit the exact same description you just gave. In particular, the Nats. And when all you watch is your own team, you can miss what I see.

And that is that Baseball is all about perception, and I guarantee that there are 22 teams fans right now that feel like you about uninspired play, and finding ways to lose, etc. etc.-

That’s why the very best teams only win “on average” 6 out of every 10 games, or in other words, one better than 5-5, or .500. But, if at the end of a year you play .600 baseball, you’ve played out of your mind inspired ball!

That said, the Phils are 5 games under, and that is frustrating, yet still only 4.5 games from the wild card leader. My point is not that the team and it’s fans should find the level of play acceptable, just that it really IS early, way too early to give up. I’ve probably just been around too long, but I seem to have more patience for this game I love so much. I was told it was too late last June, then they went on that run. They didn’t make it, but it was fun for about two months while they were in it. You and others have every right to your opinions and attitude toward the club, I get it, I just prefer to hang with them. They won’t let me down, they could lose 110 games, and I’ll mostly remember are the wins.

When I say they are what they are I’m talking more in terms of wins and losses rather than specific players’ statistics. No, I don’t have any mlb package, but I do watch other teams play when they are on espn or mlb network, and I also get yes and root sports and can watch the yankees and pirates regularly. What I don’t see is good teams giving games away on a consistent basis.

I want to believe that the Phillies are a playoff team, but there are just so many teams in the NL that just look better, teams that pass the eye test, and the Phillies don’t right now. I think its possible that they make a playoff run but its not going to be easy. I’m not one to give up on them, I stay at the games through 9 innings regardless of the score, I just don’t like what I’m seeing.

First, a team’s wins and losses is mostly a product of their individual players’ performances (reflected in their stats).

I don’t know that anyone is saying they’re a very good team, only every team goes through ups and downs, and that the Phillies are probably not as bad as they’ve shown so far. And if that’s the case, then there is certainly a chance that they will be “good enough” to contend for a wildcard spot.

I’m with you Lefty – I can’t give up either – but these last couple of games have been damn hard and frustrating to watch…or listen to as I did yesterday. I think we are going to turn it around with the Mets series though. We have good numbers against Gee and Hamels is aching for a win. Utley hits great in that park too.

Both teams have seen success – it is different Lefty, by seeing good then poor you can level it out. Have we seen what the Phils can do on the other side of the spectrum? Sure, a win or two with a few homeruns here and there but mostly, this team is playing flat ball.

Its bino-gate, or the curse there of. The Phillies have not scored runs regularly since ol’ Mick was caught in the bullpen with those binoculars. Jason Werth put a VooDoo hex on us after he left as well. The only way the hex can be broken is if Chase Utley sleeps with Werth’s girlfriend(s).

In the first 4 games following bino-gate as you call it, after leaving the best hitting park in MLB, the Phils scored 35 runs. In the final 129 games of the 2010 season after bino-gate, the Phils scored 595 runs, or 4.61 runs per game, a pace that would have placed them in the top 4 of the NL that year. Bino-gate is not responsible for their current offensive woes, aging, poor player development and poor roster management are.

Those binoculars were overrated as a batting aid. I agree with hk that the lineup problems are due to other factors, and I even doubt that if the Phils’ current batters were tipped off, they still wouldn’t hit. A set of magnifying lenses can never speed up a bat and they also can’t turn a scout’s poor choice of a prospect or a GMs poorly thought out player acquisition into a great hitter, especially when most of those acquisitions have been pitchers.

I don’t know what to think. I watch these games and can almost predict what’s gonna happen. My son’s where laughing at me the other night when I was predicting Howards at bat. Every pitch I called happened and he eventually struck out. They got the bases loaded and I predicted every out in sucession. I don’t have ESP but they are so predictable in their approach that I’m sure the opposition is doing the same thing . throw howard a curve in the dirt on a 1-2 count? he takes it. then throw him another! he aint taken two in a row and woosh check swing strikeout! too funny some times. but sad cause I’m watching my team look foolish most of the time.
And Mayberry is horrible! about 90% of the time he takes strick one right down the middle then almost as on cue the pitcher throws him a pitch just a little more inside, maybe a strike maybe not. But he swings at it and it’s not in his zone and it’s either a fuol, a week ground ball or a miss. He’s always in the hole and it’s alfully hard to hit down 0-2 , 1-2 most of the time.
For some reason I didn’t watch the game yesterday cause I actually thought they were either playing at night or were off. My son came home from work and asked me if I watched the game. ( I was watching the NFL draft on ESPN) I said no I thought they were off did they lose?
It’s at that point right now I used to say did they win! Now ?

yup! they are what they are and that’s not a good team. Sure Howard will get his HRs and RBIs but he will get them probably on days that the team doesn’t need them.
How many years is it now? Waiting for the overpaid power guy to do his thing?
You don’t have to watch Direct TV and all those other games to know BB or any other game. One guy may enjoy sitting there all day watching different teams play and another think not. It doesn’t make him understand the game more than they other guy. You like it then flaunt it what can I or anyone say, it’s great for you “lefty” no sarcasm really meant either.
Waiting for the Phillies is something I’ve been waiting for to happen a very long time ago.
That run they had was great but now it seems over. I would like to see them same as Braves and in there class. Give up, probably did because these guys don’t even go through the paces.
They get paid to play and if they don’t they should go and I say R. Amaro should be first to leave. (big period)

Umm, flaunt what? I don’t understand. LouA, what did I flaunt? I said that there is a different perspective when you watch so many games. You see all the same mistakes that people get on the Phillies about, -the same managerial questioning, the same hitting going dead, the same bullpen blow ups. I said what I said to make a point, not to flaunt anything. I dislike 99%% of what is on TV so I watch mostly news and sports.

All you have to do is look at the Nats message board- and check the thread titles out, they look just like some of our comments- I’m saying it’s not just Philly fans
“Totally Unacceptable”
“Desmond’s Outrageous Chutzpah”
“For the Doom and Gloomers” (sounds like something I’d write!)
“Why is Espinosa still starting”
There’s one called “Werth” and the first post is- I swear to god does Werth go 0-2 to start every at bat?
“How’ bout just meeting the ball”
And the one I liked best –
“I had enough of Davey who is a terrible manager”

Give it into June then see where this team is. Then see if Ruben can get value in return for some of the vets – numerous of these vets I would love to see back next year, but they could include any number of Utley, Ruiz, Young, Rollins, Mayberry, Kratz, Halladay, Lee, Adams, Papelbon. Now I know most of these guys will be here Sept, even more so if they climb back into contention.
The team has some decent options to replace many of these guys, but not necessarily any better than whom they replace.

“Some people like it with a bit of butter, a smear of cream cheese. Some prefer jelly or a sprinkling of cinnamon. The more adventurous a poached egg or smoked fish or even baked beans. Whatever your preference, lather it onto the Philadelphia Phillies, because the Phils are toast.

The Phillies aren’t going to lose more games than the Astros, and certainly won’t be in the running to pick first in the 2014 draft, but the team’s recent dynasty is over. The club is still likely to limp to a .500 finish or thereabouts, but as one of the most feared teams in the league, all that’s left is to turn out the lights and pen the eulogy.”

“It’s always tough for a team with a high payroll to admit that it needs to rebuild, but what’s spent is practically irrelevant, a sunk cost, and fixing holes with the Delmon Youngs of the world won’t get the Phillies a playoff spot. ”